Down East Asia

Grilled Sticky Sesame Asian Wings With A Homemade Asian Slaw 

The chicken wing served slathered in a hot chili sauce, now known as the buffalo wing, started gaining popularity in the early 1980's.  It is said that the popular bar/party food originated in Buffalo New York at an establishment called Anchor Bar.  That claim has been disputed over the years but there is little dispute about the fact that the dish originated in Buffalo, New York and gained still more popularity after the Buffalo Bills made 4 consecutive appearances to the super bowl from 1991 to 1994.  This gave Buffalo cuisine nationwide exposure and the buffalo wing became one of America's favorite super bowl party treats.  

Today, there are franchise restaurants that specialize in serving buffalo wings in a variety of different flavors.  Over the years, sauces other than traditional buffalo sauce have become quite popular.  These sauces have been influenced by Chinese, Japanese, Caribbean and Indian cuisines.  Tonight I have prepared a wing sauce that was influenced by Chinese cuisine.  It has a more subtle spicy kick to it than the traditional buffalo sauce but packs a whole lot of flavor in every bite.  Here are the ingredients for my sticky sesame Asian wings sauce.

Black vinegar, dark soy sauce, low sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha chili sauce, Maine maple syrup, Maine made honey, white pepper, Chinese five spice, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, ginger, garlic and 1 lime.

Preparing the marinade

In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup of low sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of black vinegar, 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 teaspoon of Sriracha chili sauce, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, 1/3 cup of honey, a dash of white pepper and Chinese five spice to taste, a couple good pinches of red pepper flakes, 1 inch piece of ginger grated, 1 large garlic clove minced and the juice of 1 lime.  

Give all of the ingredients a good mix and pour 3/4 of the marinade over the chicken wings in a plastic back or a bowl and place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 1 to 3 hours before cooking. Set aside the remainder of the marinade to use to baste the wings while cooking.

While the wings are marinating, it is time to prepare the Asian slaw.  Here are the ingredients for the dressing.

Shao Shing cooking wine, low sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, Maine maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, sesame seeds and red pepper flakes.

In a small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons of Shao Shing cooking wine, 5 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, two tablespoons of maple syrup, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, two tablespoons of sesame seeds, and couple good pinches of red pepper flakes (optional).  Give the dressing a good stir and set aside to prepare the other ingredients.

First start by thinly slicing strips of green cabbage and red cabbage.  You will slice 1 cup of each kind of cabbage.  You can use a food processor for this but I like slicing the cabbage by hand to get the size and the texture that I am looking for.  I do this by rolling the leaves of the cabbage and slicing the roll into thin strips as shown above.

Add 1 cup of thin strips of carrots.  I use a vegetable peeler to make the thin strips but you can use a grater or a food processor for this as well

Next I add 8 to 10 ounces of snow peas which I thinly slice at an angle julienne style.

Once you are done slicing and dicing the vegetables, combine them all in a medium size bowl, pour the dressing over the vegetables and stir all of the ingredients thoroughly.  Set in the refrigerator to chill.

Now to cook the wings.  Tonight I have decided to grill my wings but you can also bake them or if you want to deep fry them, do not marinate them before frying.  Fry your wings first and then dredge them in the marinade after frying.  

If you decide to grill, turn your grill on to medium high heat and and thoroughly cook the chicken all the way through.  Each time you turn the wings on the grill, baste them with the reserved marinade until you have used all of it.  Once the wings are cooked remove from the grill and prepare to serve.

To serve, place the wings on top of a bed of the homemade Asian slaw on a large plate or platter.  Sprinkle sesame seeds over the wings (as much as preferred) and top with scallions, spring onions or any other topping you that you prefer.  Here I have topped my wings with scallions.  It is not what I prefer but they add the perfect touch for plating and presentation.  

I know what some of you are thinking...this is The Maine Harvest Table and I am featuring a dish that originated in a different State.  Well, that honestly is likely to be the case with a lot of my recipes but you will notice that I usually manage to sneak in some Maine made ingredients as I have in both of the recipes tonight.  

I love serving this dish as a light meal on a hot summer night as well as a party snack during the super bowl or at any other fun gathering.  The Asian slaw can be served as a side with a number of dishes or added as a topping to a gourmet sandwich.  I have even added it as a topping to a hot or cold noodle bowl.  It is extremely versatile and delicious.  It is one of my favorite go to super food side dishes.  I just love it and I hope you will too!

Enjoy!